Silver Rocket

Rozhovor se SAVAK: "Like so many things, including music, the best results are often found through limitations."

Aran 12. 4. 2023

Mám velmi rád Savak - a mám na nich rád všechno. Songy, přiznanou "image" starejch fotrů, fakt, že jsme s nima s Prohra Praha vydali split s názvem "Aerosol" (poslouchejte TADY), Gibsony SG - a kytaristu / zpěváka Sohraba Habibiona. Savak budou teď v dubnu hrát pár koncertů v Evropě (termíny TADY) a my jsme si se Sohrabem řekli, že bez tohohle hluboce analytickýho interview byste nepřežili. Otázky jsem přeložil do češtiny, odpovědi jsem nechal v angličtině: určitě si s tím nějak poradíte...

Kdo z vás přišel na to, že je v pořádku mít image cool fotrů na třídní schůzce?
„I would like to take credit for this, but I don’t think I can. I would like to take credit for lots of things, actually, but unfortunately I would quickly be discovered for the fraud that I am. Cool dads… what a concept! My memory of seeing bands that looked significantly older but still ´punk´ include a Saccharine Trust show in 1986 and a Doc Corbin Dart performance in the early 90s. In both cases the people involved seemed to possess a secret knowledge of the darker side of the human experience—things I’d read about in Jim Thompson books or had seen in Diane Arbus photographs. Laughing Hyenas, too. Their set scared the crap out of me. It was also completely mesmerizing and thrilling from the very first note they played.“

Nemůžete sakra zpomalit? Pět desek a spousta singlů – to je od roku 2015 až až…
„Clearly we have a problem. We haven't tried to stop or anything, but it’s fair to assume at some point we will. Between now and then I must apologize for whatever it is that takes place. We will do our best to maintain some level of quality control, but I offer no guarantees. We are the unwanted holiday fruit basket that shows up from a relative you like, but wonder if they know just how long it will take for those pears they had delivered to you to ripen.“

Vídám tě na fotkách s trikem MišMaše, kde jste se Savak hráli v roce 2019. Co si z toho pamatuješ?
"California surfer voice: ´BEST FEST EVER, BRO!´ It was magical. Truly. I try to explain to people that most festivals are not a celebration of music, but a celebration of the tyranny of capitalism. MisMas and the Silver Rocket festival are the real deal: about music and community. The rest of the world would be better served if there was more MisMas and Silver Rocket out there. A few memories from our MisMas experience… the ZEA/Arnold de Boer set, people blissfully napping in hammocks, Hurricane Party tearing it up, the sound of kids laughing, Prohra Praha ruling and confirming what a great guitar player Orel from Planety is, the three people who showed up wearing SAVAK shirts and blew our minds… and so much more, but I’ll stop there."

Předpokládám, že beztak jedete do Evropy jen kvůli pivu. Oblíbený značky?
„I don't know what would make you assume that, but let’s assume that I assume your assumption is even slightly accurate… I would say that Europe has a pretty good track record of brewing beer with just water, malt, hops, and yeast, which is all you need. Unfortunately the ´microbrew´ trend in America has introduced many unnecessary ingredients. Like so many things, including music, the best results are often found through limitations. Please give us your recommendations!“

Co je vlastně tak zábavnýho na tom vyjet na turné po padesátce?
„Sometimes the snoring. Mostly not the snoring, though. I think it’s a delight to tour and not worry about the dumb stuff that you worry about when you’re in your 20s. I feel that way about life in general. You have to embrace the absurd and accept all the things you can’t control. Like snoring.“

V 80. letech jsi na video nahrával koncerty kapel jako Fugazi, Dag Nasty, One Last Wish atd., odkaz když tak TADY. Kde jsi na to tenkrát vzal kamery, světla, zvuk, střihače, scénáristy, režiséry, postprodukci atd.?
„Good screenwriters were very hard to find among teenagers awkwardly hanging around community centers on weekend afternoons—don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! My mom bought me the video camera with a little bit of money she inherited when my great grandmother died. I had no interest in filming things, so it was a little random, but she was actually the one who suggested that I film my friends’ bands playing at the shows we would put together in the neighborhood. Were it not for my mom, a wonderfully generous and curious person, those videos would not exist.“

Proč jsou vlastně na těch starejch Dischord koncertech všichni bez trika?
„For the record, I always wore a shirt. Also for the record, that is not true. Alexis Fleisig, a gentleman who you can confirm regards the truth rather dutifully, has claimed to have been fully clothed for the entirety of his misspent punk youth. Then he looked for photos for his terrific Soulside book that was published in 2019 and he came across so many images of himself completely missing any fabric at all on the upper half of his body! This does not answer your question, but it hints at the fact that your question captures a corner of harDCore history that may not be fully understood. Can we ever get to the bottom of this toplessness?“

V jaký zemi chcete hrát nejvíc – a proč?
„Just one? Iceland because it’s beautiful and bizarre. New Zealand because it’s beautiful and bizarre… and has an incredible history of rock’n’roll music. I’d love to do a tour of the Silk Road: Xi’an, Samarkand, Istanbul, Damascus, Dunhuang. Can you imagine? It would be amazing.“

Rytmická sekce Savak – na nahrávkách i na koncertech – se často mění, zůstáváte jen ty a Mike Jaworski. Proč je s váma evidentně tak k nevydržení?
„It’s true. The fact that you are a bass player and are asking this question is very bold. And after this tour that we do together you will know EXACTLY how difficult we are to be around. Can you get me a fresh beer, please?“

Kromě fantastický a nepřekonatelný Prohry Praha, jaký další kapely tě teď baví?
„While everything pales in comparison with the mighty PrPr, I am really looking forward to playing with Clear History in Berlin on this tour as well. They are excellent. And I’m stoked to check out VOID // GIST in Hamburg and The Junks in Krakow. One of my favorite things about touring is getting to see and hear new music every night. Right now there’s lots of great new bands in DC, my favorites being Bed Maker and Continuals.“

Žít v NY určitě znamená potkávat dennodenně ty nejvíc cool lidi na světě. Kdo je nejvíc cool?
„My downstairs neighbor, Nestor, is by far the coolest person in NYC. Anyone who knows Nestor knows this to be true. As we all tumble around the globe, chasing the truth, hoping to recognize authenticity when it’s tickling the softest part of our feet, we are really just seeking Nestor. He’s in apartment 5D.“

Brooklyn Nets jsou ubohá špína, co?
„According to your pals at Google, ´The value of the Brooklyn Nets franchise of the National Basketball Association reached 3.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.´ Also according to those same experts at Alphabet Inc., ´The Department of Sanitation's Fiscal 2023 Preliminary Budget totals $1.78 billion.´ My father is an accountant and I think he would tell you that means the Brooklyn Nets are 2x trash. But you should ask Johnny Temple to be sure.“